The hopes in the European Union for tangible results of the meeting were low anyway. Instead, the EU wants to deliver more weapons to Ukraine even faster because of the expected major Russian offensive in the east. Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) demanded that Germany also hand over heavy weapons to Kyiv. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) only wants to act in coordination with the EU partners and avoid going it alone. Heavy weapons are tanks, fighter jets, warships or artillery pieces.
Meanwhile, Russia reported the destruction of dozens of military facilities in Ukraine. In addition, the port of the fiercely contested city of Mariupol in the southeast is said to be under Russian control. Thousands more refugees from Ukraine arrived in Poland, but at the same time thousands of people returned.
Not a NATO country: Can Austria’s chancellor build a bridge?
Putin received Nehammer early in the afternoon at the President’s residence in Novo-Ogaryovo, Moscow Region, and the conversation lasted about an hour. The Chancellor’s most important message was that this war had to stop because there were only losers on both sides. “The talks with President Putin were very direct, open and tough,” said Nehammer. He also defended his meeting against criticism. He wanted to address the horrors of war directly. “It takes personal confrontation.” The meeting had been agreed with the heads of the EU and with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Austria is in the EU, but not in NATO.
Nehammer demanded an investigation into the war crimes. The United Nations could help, he said after visiting Kyiv and the Bucha suburb, where hundreds of civilian bodies had been found. Those responsible must be held accountable. Nehammer said Putin had shown distrust in the independent prosecution of these crimes. However, Austria had offered to work for international criminal justice to deal with the matter.
Heavy weapons for Kyiv? Baerbock pushes, Scholz hesitates
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell again urged member states to step up their arms deliveries. Wars are normally not decided with sanctions but on the battlefield, said the Spaniard on the sidelines of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg. He is concerned that Russia is massing troops to launch an attack in eastern Ukraine. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Borrell of an aggressive change of course.
Chancellor Scholz held back on the question of whether Germany should also supply Ukraine with heavy weapons. The SPD politician said on Monday evening in Berlin that Germany had already delivered weapons to the government in Kyiv and would continue to do so. In addition, there will be further consultations in the EU. “There will be no going it alone.” He strives for “carefully balanced action”.
Baerbock expressed himself more clearly. “Ukraine needs more military material – above all heavy weapons,” said the Greens politician in Luxembourg. “Now is no time for excuses, now is the time for creativity and pragmatism.” So far, Germany has delivered anti-aircraft missiles, anti-tank missiles and machine guns to Ukraine, among other things. The armaments group Rheinmetall offered up to 50 main battle tanks for the Ukraine. “The first Leopard 1 could be delivered in six weeks,” said Armin Papperger, head of the Dsseldorf armory, to the “Handelsblatt”. However, this requires the approval of the federal government.
Zelenskyj calls for fighter planes and tanks
Zelenskyj again demanded anti-aircraft systems, fighter jets, tanks and artillery for his country. Russia can only be forced to make peace, he said. The previous sanctions were not sufficient for this. “Russian banks must be completely severed from the global financial system,” stressed the head of state. Above all, the Russian export of oil must be stopped.
According to Selenskyj, tens of thousands of people are said to have been killed in the port city of Mariupol, which has been under siege since the beginning of March. “They want to make Mariupol a demonstratively destroyed city,” said the 44-year-old.
The port there is said to be under Russian control now. Armed forces of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic have taken control, the Russian agencies Ria and Interfax wrote, citing Donetsk separatist leader Denis Puschilin.
New sanctions: EU wants to do without Russian l
After coal, now also oil: The EU Commission wants to present a proposal for a European import ban on Russian oil. “They are now working to ensure that l is part of the next sanctions package,” Irish Foreign Secretary Simon Coveney said on the sidelines of a meeting with his EU counterparts. The EU spends hundreds of millions of euros on oil imports from Russia. “It certainly helps finance this war. And from our point of view, we must end this war funding, even if it poses enormous challenges and problems for the EU.”
Moscow: 78 Ukrainian military objects destroyed
According to their own statements, the Russian armed forces destroyed another 78 Ukrainian military objects with new air raids. “Russian air defense systems shot down two Ukrainian Su-25 fighter jets near the town of Izyum,” said Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov. A Ukrainian Mi-24 attack helicopter was shot down in the Cherson region. This information could not be verified by an independent party. According to Konashenkov, several Ukrainian command points, ammunition and fuel depots and air defense systems were also destroyed.
Ukraine fears an attack from the west as well
The Ukrainian leadership fears a Russian attack from the west as well. The Russian troops stationed in the Republic of Moldova could be used for this purpose, it was said in Kyiv. In addition, Kyiv reports a further concentration of Russian troops in eastern Ukraine. Among them are troops from Siberia and the Russian Far East. “The occupiers will probably try to renew their offensive in the next few days,” the Ukrainian general staff said.
Another 28,500 Ukrainian refugees arrived in Poland
Since the beginning of the war, 2.66 million people from Ukraine have sought safety in Poland, as the Polish border guard announced on Twitter on Monday. On Sunday alone, 28,500 refugees arrived, a decrease of 2.1 percent compared to the day before. According to the UN, more than 4.5 million people have sought safety abroad so far. More than seven million people have been displaced within the country. Before the outbreak of war on February 24, 44 million people lived in Ukraine.
MOSCOW/LUXEMBOURG (dpa-AFX)
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